Vices & Virtues
by VerticalRunning
Summary: Amy has never really fallen for anyone before. She's just young, popular and wants to have fun, what's wrong with that? Karma has some other ideas for Miss. Raudenfeld though. Amy's world is about to become a little more complicated as she has her first love story, but can their teenage love really survive.
1. Vegas Lights

Amy pulled up to Shane's house and sighed. She really would rather be curled up in her bed watching some random show or movie on Netflix right now.

However, her best friend had insisted she come to one of his many house parties.

It wasn't that Amy didn't like parties, hell she loved them, they were her thing. It's just that after the week she had at school and work she was exhausted, both physically and mentally.

When she tried to explain to Shane he just brushed it off and told her to do some Jager Bombs with extra red bull when she arrived.

She had scoffed at the time, but right now it didn't seem like such a bad plan.

She slowly opened her car door and dragged herself out into the fresh night air. Her mother had told her there was going to be a huge storm sweeping through Texas at some point in the week.

Amy had always loved a storm, especially the smell of one. Everything seemed so much fresher and clean, like storms brought a renewal of everything, the destruction they usually left afterwards being a sure sign of that.

After a few minutes of soaking up the atmosphere and watching from her car she approached the house that had teenagers spilling out of the door. It was only ten but from the looks of it most of her peers had reached or indeed were way past their limit. The kid decorating the rose bush with his brightly coloured fluids was well and truly past his limit, if he even had one to begin with.

Trying to avoid the stench Amy dived through the tiny gap that she could see between bodies.  
>After much pushing, shoving and a lot of false apologies, Amy found herself in the kitchen with a cliché red cup in her hand.<p>

She had had three Jager Bombs already and was feeling slightly buzzed, add in the three beers to chase those bombs and Amy was approaching her limit fast.

Eventually the blonde found Shane in the living room, squished on the couch next to Liam and Ivy. It seemed like they were playing their favourite party game of people watching.

"I bet you five bucks that Oliver hurls in the next ten minutes". Liam had always been the first to kick off these stupid bets.

"I'll take some of that action" Ivy chimed in.

Shane just had a smirk on his face because he was so use to this. He didn't say a lot but I saw the glint in his eye that said he knew something no one else did.

They hadn't noticed me yet so I crept over to the sound mixer and added a song to the playlist. We had decided that this was out party song in the summer. It wasn't up beat or dancey but it somehow described just how we felt at these parties, even if they were our own.

Hester High wasn't like any other school, hell it almost sounded like something you'd see on a show trying too hard to preach acceptance. The outsiders were the in crowd here and the in crowd…..well they were kinda out.

Just like every other high school though, looking good was all that mattered. Hence why at these parties our little clique would people watch and make stupid ass bets.

We weren't trying to be mean we just wanted to see that our peers weren't just robots. They were actual people that let their hair down and showed everyone their vulnerable side, albeit when their drunk.

I slowly walked over to everyone, though I was now on my sixth beer so it may very well have been a stumble.

"So who won the bet?" I wasn't at all interested but it was a bit of chatter to kick us off.

"I did!" Shane sounded a little over excited. I don't even remember him making a contribution to that bet. 

Before I could even question him our song started playing and I grabbed his hand.

"Dance floor. Now." It wasn't so much of a question as a demand.

The group were on their feet straight away bopping away to the intro an then breaking into their own signature moves and singing along.

_Ain't it so, ain't it so perfect  
>Our cynical minds will make it totally worth it<br>So give it to me now_

The girl made an attempt of a spin at this point, which led to a full on collision with another party goer and two spilled drinks.

"I am so sorry. That was totally my fault, I should totally take you to Shane's room to fix that" Amy hadn't even looked at who she had bumped into, too busy staring at the giant stain on the white shirt that she had caused.

"Come with me, we'll get that all cle-" She cut herself off as she glanced at the girl she had jolted. 

This girl was attractive. Super attractive. Amy grinned goofily at that thought. She probably looked like an idiot but she didn't care so much.

"Clean. Come on" She reached out and took the strangers wrist. Immediately she felt warmth envelope around her hand as the auburn haired girl held it.

She looked back and smiled again, this time turning her eyes down in a gesture that clearly showed the other girl she was being a little flirtatious.

When they arrived at Shane's room, Amy immediately took the girl into the en-suite bathroom and told her to take her shirt off.

"Well, someone is a little quick off the mark. You don't even have my name yet" the girl smiled and chewed on her bottom lip, to anyone else it may have looked like she was nervous, but to Amy….boy to Amy it looked so damn sexy.

"I like to rush into things, but if you insist. I'm Amy" the girl offered her hand out as a greeting and looked super nervous, which was part of her charm.

Amy was a pro at this game. She didn't break hearts; she wasn't that type of girl. That isn't to say she didn't get her fair share of action though, nothing heavier that some light petting, but she got it often enough to keep her satisfied.

She could make a girl instantly melt with her charm.

"Karma" the other girl replied. "How about you get your shirt off first? Your stain is just as bad as mine."

Amy didn't hesitate in pulling her shirt off; she had nothing to hide after all. Thinking about it though, this wasn't really a situation she'd feel too comfortable in.

Once her shirt was off she went back into Shane's room and grabbed two oversized pyjama tops.

When she returned to the bathroom Karma had her shirt off and both of their tops in the sink scrubbing at them.

"Here. I kinda thought you might want something to wear in the meantime".

Karma gracefully accepted the t-shirt and then laughed at the design.

"So, Shane's an adventure time fan and a Bubbline shipper? That's…..surprising".

"He likes lesbian energy" sprouted out of Amy's mouth before she could think. "Plus…uh it's kind of my shirt, I leave it here for when I stay over". The blonde felt suddenly embarrassed.

"That explains it. So…uhhh that stain isn't gonna come out right now. Maybe you can give it back to me at school?"

Karma had already walked to Shane's door, ready to leave. All Amy could do was nod dumbly.

As Karma opened the door Amy heard that the song was still playing. The girl slowly slid out amongst the bodies of her peers and by the time Amy moved to do the same the cute girl had disappeared.

_We gotta be starting something  
>Would you change it if you could?<em>

As the song played on Amy went to find her friends, only thinking about Monday and Karma.


	2. Let's Get These Teen Hearts Beating

Amy smushed her face further into her pillow, trying to drown out the sound of her alarm. This was always her morning routine; she would leave it as long as she could before she would emerge from under her warm fort of blankets.

It was childish but Amy didn't care. After another five minutes she eventually took the plunge and dived at her alarm clock and subsequently out of her bed.

The blonde then continued on with her morning routine. After the alarm clock was dealt with she'd participate in some stretching because God knows she got some knots after sleeping. When she felt like she could move without getting any muscle aches Amy grabbed her towel and made a move for the bathroom she shared with Lauren.

When she was sure it was empty she locked both doors and began to heat up the shower.

Once stripped down she plugged her iPod into the dock and put it on shuffle.

If she were to complete her morning routine properly then she needed some music.

After twenty minutes Amy was just about done in the shower, there'd probably be around five minutes of hot water left for Lauren. Amy didn't feel guilty at all.

As soon as she dashed out and into her room she heard Lauren's feet padding into the bathroom, she made sure that she had locked both doors into her room.

Yes, she loved pissing Lauren off, but she didn't like the screaming match that would occur because of it.

The teenager turned her iPod on full and began searching through her closet for something to wear. It's then that she saw the foreign shirt hanging at the very end of the rack and she felt the grin making its way on to her face without permission.

_Karma._

Amy hadn't stopped thinking about the girl since their interaction at the party. Something about the other girl just intrigued her.

Amy broke out of her haze at the sound of her phone going off.

'**Your place in ten minutes. I wants me some Starbucks from that cute barista.'**

Trust Shane to ruin her thought process with his need for cute boys.

Without even thinking about it Amy grabbed her ripped jeans and slid them on. After what felt like an eternity but was only a minute in reality, she grabbed her red V neck and pulled it over her head.

It's then she caught site of herself in the mirror and realised that she couldn't be bothered to do her hair. Instead she grabbed her favourite beanie and placed it just perfectly, the blonde grabbed her new hi tops and was pretty much ready to go.

She was pretty impressed because she still had five minutes till Shane arrived.

She utilised this extra time by carefully folding Karma's shirt and putting it in her bag, then giving herself the once over in the mirror and made the decision to put on some lip balm.

After grabbing a few accessories Amy finally felt like she looked presentable. She checked her watch and realised Shane would probably be pulling into the drive any minute, so dashed down the stairs and out the front door with just a hurried bye shouted in the direction of the kitchen.

Ever since the awkward Homecoming interaction between Shane and her mother, Amy tried to keep them separated.

Sure, her mother now knew she was a raging lesbian and that Shane was the queerest boy in all of Texas, but it was still awkward as hell.

Shane immediately pulled his sunglasses down when he saw the blonde approaching his car.

Amy knew that there was either going to be a scathing comment about her poor choice in clothing or a ve-

A very loud wolf whistle interrupted her train of thought. The scathing comment theory was out the window.

"Well hello there! Girl, who you trying to impress?" Shane had known Amy the longest in their friendship group. While Liam or Ivy would have just said this was normal Amy style, Shane knew when Amy put the effort in.

"Can't a girl just wanna look pretty for a change…" Amy hopped into the passenger side and hooked her iPod up to the stereo system. It was a rule that if Amy had to put her life at risk with Shane's driving, then he had to endure her alternative music tastes.

If they were going to die, they were gonna die to an awesome soundtrack.

Without checking his mirrors Shane reversed out of the drive and sped off in the direction of Starbucks.

"Well we both know you're pretty hot stuff anyways, so don't pull that card with me. Plus this is not 'I'll throw anything on Amy' this is totally 'I spent at least ten minutes on my outfit today'. Don't even get me started on the fact that you accessorised either."

She sometimes hated this boy.

"I hate your powers of perception sometimes".

"You don't mean that. Now spill!" This is what Amy feared most. Shane realising that she may or may not have been trying to impress a girl. The questions were going to be never ending and the boy was certainly going to offer his help.

It's not that Shane was bad at giving advice, it's just that it wasn't the type of advice Amy wanted.  
>Although he was what could be considered 'a man whore' Shane loved romance and being swept of his feet…..or at least the idea of it. Hence, he always tried to get his friends hooked up in relationships.<p>

Last year he got so desperate with Amy he tried to hook her up with his cousin. Something that went very sour very fast. Thankfully.

"It's nothing like that. I just met a girl at the party and she was cute, so I wanna look good for her. Don't you dare get any ideas!"

Shane took the hint but still wanted to know some details.

"Okay, okay….can I at least get her name?" He knew nearly everyone at their school; he could at least give Amy helpful hints about said girl.

The blonde pondered it for a while.

"I'll make you a deal. If you can get the 'cute' barista's number today, then you can get her name…" She knew Shane wouldn't back out of this type of deal.

She also knew that the barista was perfectly straight and not above flirting for large tips though.

"Oh sister, you are so on. Be prepared to be dazzled by the extent of my charm".

Just as they had agreed on the terms of this deal they pulled into a space outside of Starbucks. They had twenty minutes to spare before they would absolutely have to leave for high school.

Half way across town Karma was running round in a frenzy trying to get everything she needed for the day.

She'd woken up late and was pretty frazzled by that. Add on the fact that the hot water had been used and she had to take a cold shower and she was not in the best of moods or mind sets.

The auburn haired beauty grabbed her guitar and carefully placed it in her case. She then walked over to her closet and grabbed some clothes to throw on.

When her outfit looked okay she did her make-up, nothing too heavy because she didn't have the time, plus her parents hated it when she didn't accentuate her natural features.

She shot one last glance back to her room and spotted Amy's shirt in a crumpled mess on the floor.

In an instant the interaction with the girl came crashing back into her memory and she felt her heart skip a beat.

She slowly walked over to the t-shirt and picked it up, holding it at arm's length to be sure she hadn't gotten any stains on it. When she saw that it was clean she brought it closer to herself and inhaled.

She immediately turned a bright scarlet colour as she realised what she was doing. This had to be in the top five lists of stalker traits. Then again no one was around to know what she was doing so it was fine.

Amy smelt like spearmint and cinnamon, an odd combination but one that Karma found so comforting. In an instant she was calm again and didn't care so much about being late for school, or possibly missing the bus.

She sighed, folded the t-shirt and placed it in her bag. She would be interacting with the blonde again today and the thought excited her, their interaction at the party had been short, but oh so sweet.

The image of Amy standing shirtless in front of her came to the forefront of her mind and Karma felt her face heating up again.

The blonde was beyond perfect, Karma couldn't even think of words worthy enough to describe the other girl's body. All she knew is it stirred something in the pit of her something and she was pretty sure only Amy Raudenfeld could help her get it under control.

"Karma, you're going to miss the bus". Karma broke away from her thoughts at the sound of her mother's voice.

"Shit". She grabbed her bag and then her guitar case before bolting it down the stairs. After grabbing something to eat, at her father's request, she ran out the door and to the bus stop.

The girl was thankful that her mother had broken her from her thoughts, if they had continued down the path they were on then Karma may not have left her room for another ten minutes.


	3. Time To Dance

**AN: Hi guys, another update here for you to enjoy. At the minute I have no direction with this fic, so would love some reviews as to what you might want to see. Any feedback is good feedback =)**

* * *

><p>I sipped at my Caramel Frappuccino in silence, semi sulking but also semi amused by Shane.<p>

"It was like taking candy from a baby Ames" he was so proud of himself. "That barista totally wanted me".

"Careful there Shane, if you're head gets any bigger I might have to pop it and I don't have a pin handy".

"Oh someone is a sore loser, but a bet is a bet Mon frère".

The golden haired girl scrunched her eyebrows together. "Mon frère means brother…."

The cheery boy just looked perplexed "Mon girl-frère." Trust Shane to accidently quote Buffy to the girl.

He denied ever watching the show but Amy was pretty sure he was a fan and even a closet Xander/Spike shipper. She'd find out his dirty secret one day.

"Now give me her name" Amy was pulled from her thoughts by Shane's sinister sounding statement.

"You realise you sound like a murderer right now, right? Or better yet an evil villain! You'd totally rock the bald look".

Shane mock gasped as Amy went right for his jugular with the bald comment, his hair was what he was most vain about.

He quickly got a hold of himself though.

"You realise that you are sounding like someone totally avoiding the subject…" He glanced at her quickly and then sipped his passion fruit and mango mix, not focusing all of his energy on the road.

"Fine" the blonde let out a giant sigh, sounding like a petulant child. "Her name is brma".

It took a moment for Shane to realise that Amy's mumble of the girls name was completely unintelligible.

"Okay Captain inarticulate how about in English for lil ol' Shaney pops over here."

Amy swore that if looks could kill Shane would be dead by now.

"Karma! Her name is Karma….happy now?"

The boy pondered for a while.

"Karma, Karma, Karma, Karma…" he racked his brain flipping through a virtual year book in his mind.

"Karma Chameleon. You come and go, you come and go…" Amy looked at him like he was meant to continue.

When she realised that he wasn't because he was so deep in his own thought she turned a bright red.

"I guess we're not gonna do that then". The teen sank further into her seat hoping he hadn't acknowledged any of that encounter.

"ASHCROFT!" the boy shouted, swerving the car in his excitement and nearly hitting someone's mail box and trash cans.

"Woah! Totally do not want to die today" Amy replied, clutching at her chest.

"Sorry." He totally wasn't sorry, he actually said it whilst smiling.

"I don't know her surname….she has auburn hair though…and a tiny area of freckles around her nose. Her eyes….God you'd have to see them to believe the swirling colours in them" Amy had almost forgotten about Shane being in the car with her.

That was until he let out an awkward cough.

"Well…alrighty then. Her surname is definitely Ashcroft; it's not exactly like there are that many Karma's running around Hester High. You might wanna be careful with her though."

"It's not like anything is going to happen Shane. She's probably taken by someone and even if she isn't I doubt she is even the littlest bit gay….I'll take the bait though. Why should I be careful with her?"

Shane's eyes lit up in excitement at being able to spill some gossip.

"According to rumour Karma and out dear friend Liam once had a thing going!" he looked so pleased by being able to share this scandal with someone. Then I think his friendship skills kicked in and his mood became sombre.

"That can't be right. Surely I would have heard something about it by now…"

"Apparently Liam doesn't talk about it because of how much it affected him when they broke him. He was heartbroken. I don't ask him because it was before I knew him properly."

"It's just a rumour; if Liam doesn't talk about it, then it just can't be true Shane."

She bit her lip nervously; she loved Liam like a brother. Yeah, he could be an absolute douchebag but he was still a big ol' lump of emotions under it all. They'd known each other since they were in 10th grade.

This just couldn't be true.

Could it…?

"We're here. Think about what I said Amy".

The next few hours were a huge blur to the girl. 

* * *

><p>Lunch rolled around and Karma breathed a sigh of relief.<p>

She was already exhausted and it was only lunch. She wasn't sure what the root of her exhaustion was really, she just knew that she needed to get home and sleep.

She trudged down the corridor, stopping only at her locker to dump a few books and then casually strolled to the cafeteria.

Just as she was about to enter through the big double doors she felt a hand wrap its way around her wrist and gently pull her back though.

She was unsure of her assailant was so put her body into motion to slap the stranger.

It's only when she saw the blonde tresses and bright green eyes that she realised a slap wasn't the appropriate greeting. By this point it was too late though and the only sound that passed between them was skin coming into contact with skin.

Immediately after Amy looked shocked and…well hurt, Karma could pack a slap.

"Oh my God! I am so sorry Amy. I thought you were like some creepy high school prowler looking for their next victim and when I realised it was you….Thank God my mace is in my locker." Karma was impressed with herself for getting it all out in one breath.

"Firstly: Ouch. Secondly: it's okay, see…." the blonde slowly removed her hand from her face and all Karma could do was wince.

The mark from the slap was become a more intense red as seconds passed.

"Okay, not the facial expression I was looking for." Amy smiled and Karma swore she felt butterflies.

"Escort me to the nurse's office? Or…you could come to the bathroom and be my own private nurse…." Thousands of butterflies were released into Karma's stomach at that point.

She wasn't sure if it was the suggestion in what Amy said or the look on her face when she did. One thing was clear to Karma though, that lip biting thing that the blonde did could only cause trouble for her.

"Uhhh.." words, she needed words to articulate herself.

Before she could gather her thoughts Amy had intertwined their fingers and started pulling her through the deserted hallways.

It was like the party all over again, except this time Karma was the cause. 

* * *

><p>Amy wasn't gonna lie. Her face stung right now.<p>

She had never been slapped in all her of her sixteen years, but in a weird way, she was glad Karma was the first person to do it.

She needed to get some ice on it and since the school nurse was really her only option she dragged Karma along with her. If Karma couldn't play nurse in the bathroom she'd just have to do it in the nurse's office.

Amy realised just how that sounded and felt her face heating up some more. It was one thing to say it to Karma, but another thing entirely to imagine Karma as her own little nurse in her mind.

Thank God the slap was hiding the raging blush that she had right now.

Once they were settled in the office and Nurse Jacky had left them to it Amy began to think about what Shane had told her earlier in the day.

She had pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind but now that she was face to face with the girl in question, she could no longer ignore the topic.

"Did you know who I was before we bumped into each other at the party?" She was gonna ease into this.

Karma looked away and Amy swore she could see guilt on her face.

"Well…I mean…your Amy friggin Raudenfeld. Everyone kinda knows who you are at this school".

"So…why'd you pretend you didn't know me?" The blonde was generally curious.

Karma locked eyes with her and Amy swore that her heart stopped entirely and she held her breath.

"I uhhmm…I didn't want to come across like a complete fan girl….I mean…I'm not like… a stalker or anything. I just know who you are and had heard about you. Plus I've seen you around campus with Shane, Ivy and Liam".

Liam.

Amy remembered to breathe again. It was now or never and while she preferred the thought of never, she had to do this.

"You wouldn't have come across as a fan girl, believe me." She let out a slow chuckle.

"So…I have something to ask you anyways." The emerald eyes beauty watched the other girl carefully; she noticed how Karma's face lit up and instantly felt bad for having to do this. 

* * *

><p>Karma was trying not to hope….she really was. This wasn't some stupid rom-com film that she loved so much. It wasn't like THE Amy Raudenfeld was going to notice her and ask her out on a date.<p>

Her walls quickly crumbled with Amy's last statement though, her hope was sky rocketing and she could feel her heart pounding away in her chest.

"Why didn't I know you and Liam dated?" Karma's shoulders slumped and she let out a breath she didn't realise she had been holding. From the look of it so did Amy.

It was then that Amy's statement fully reached her ears and she became perplexed.

Liam Booker. She found him mostly repulsive, not as a friend, but as a sexual partner or even a romantic one….the thought made her gag.

"Amy…I don't kn-"

A pack of ice was thrown on the table next to Karma.

"There you go ladies. Don't worry, your underground ring of fights are safe with me." Typical the nurse interrupted her at this pinnacle moment.

She couldn't come up with something funnier either? Karma just stared at her till she backed away.

Without thinking she picked the ice up and gently placed it on Amy's cheek. She was surprised to find the other girl still staring at her, a look that Karma couldn't quite describe in her eyes.

Then she remembered the question Amy had asked and the answer she hadn't yet provided. She smiled to herself, but that seemed to irk the blonde.

Karma had to answer quickly or else Amy was going to just walk away.

"Liam and I did date" Karma sensed Amy's shoulders slump at her words.

"So it's true." The blonde mumbled something else, more to herself than Karma. The auburn haired girl swore she heard something about being straight in there though.

She wanted to laugh but more than anything she wanted to cry at the look on Amy's face. The other girl suddenly unzipped her bag and handed Karma's shirt to her.

It seemed like a final act, as though the blonde were saying goodbye to Karma.

This was ridiculous though, Karma not having any of it, slowly lifted the blonde's face and looked in to her eyes.

There was a sweet sadness slowly swirling in the eyes staring back at her.

"Amy…Liam and I dated in 4th grade. We broke up because I insulted G.I Joe."


End file.
